Reporting in from the Market America World 2012 conference at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami, Fl. I've joined the team at Market America as Director of Product Deveopment for Music Services and am getting a full immersion in my first week on the job.

Yes, I’m one of those liberal tech geeks who want to, oh, um..like, keep the Internet FREE! What I mean by free is free from old media run by the Motional Picture Industry Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America, who want to have the right to shut down any website they deem is infringing on their content without due process. That’s like given M&M/Mars the right to shut down every 7-11 in America just because a few 3rd-graders stole a couple of candy bars. Then, 7-11 would have to prove they can prevent all 3rd-graders from stealing M&Ms, before they can open the doors again. How silly would that be?

So, if you like your Google, WikiPedia, YouTube, SoundCloud, or any other service for that matter, which provides a vehicle for free artistic expression, then you’ll call you Senator or Congressperson and tell them you’re certainly against piracy, but not at the expense of taking your liberties away! Many of these sites have gone dark or are taking a stand today against government regulation, which will stifle innovation.

Here’s a quick video on how this all works and why you should be outraged that a few big media companies and their industry organizations are trying to regulate the Internet and block you from using services like Facebook and Twitter, which if passed, could be shut down without due process. This is like saying that you’re guilty until proven innocent. That’s not the America I grew up. I hope that’s not the one you want your kids to grow up in. We might as well move to China or Russia and let the powerful control the powerless.

On November 7, my postion as Lead Developer in the Reese Felts Digital Newsroom at UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication ended. I really enjoyed working with so many talented students and look forward to seeing where they end up in their careers. As for me, I’m off in search of a Director of Digital Strategy position for an agency/brand, or a Product Development position in a news or media organization. It’s a tough market out there, but with a shiny new resume and this nice letter of recommendation from the J-School, I should land on my feet in no time.

In the meantime, I’ll be working on consulting projects through my Digital Strategy Works consulting company. If you stumble across this post and need help, training, or advice building websites with WordPress or iOS applications, I’d be happy to speak with you. Get in touch!